Improvement in grain-binding attaghmbnts for harvesters



i To all. whom,` it. mayV concern `Meadville, p State of Pennsylvania-,have invented an improved method of taking grain from the lplatform ofharvesters,` swinging it` to ahigherf point for ease. and convenience to thebinder,

SPATENn' annienrrnoMAS s. fvMINNrss, on MEADvmnE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMEN IN i G-RAINf-BIN DINGjlATTACI-I'MBN TS. FOR HARVESTERS.

. Specification, forming part of Letters. PatentrNo. 107,703, dated September 27, 187 0;

antedcted Septemberl7, 1870.

`Be it known .that I, THOMAS S.; MlNNISS,of insthe. county ofv Crawford .and

who sits orstands `between .thekwheels at the rear ofthe machine,.where, with hisl foot upon a treadle, he canlthrow up arms.` which carry a bandfrom thebottom upward tillit surrounds the sheai', with its ends in convenient position to be grasped bythe hands of thdbinder.

.Figure l is a perspective view of `a harvesterwith myimprovement. Fig. 2 isa plan of `the crane with its attachments:` and combina# tions for grasping and swinginglthe grain, de-

Mtached. from thetframe which. supports` and the wheel which operates it. Fig. 3 is a detached hook or arm, with claw. Fig.; 4 isan elevation, showing the band-bearer and its attachments, as seen at' the rear of machine, left side. Fig. `5 is a` transverse section of the socket H, withstem of the crane B, as well as a crank and pulley to be operated by hand, to contract the cord and swing the crane.

A is the arm, and B lthe stein, ofthe crane; and H, the socket in which thestem turns. C is a section of acogged. pinion, working with a nsleeve on the stem, with the cogs at T just sufficient to give a quartenturn to the crane when geared to the drivin g-wheel of the ma chine, and is held above said wheel by the spring U, coiled round B, till drawn into gear by the cordY, operated by the lever I, when `the advancing wheel will carry 4the arm to the rear, where, the cord being relaxed, the springk U throws it out of gear, when it is free to move back when pushed by the hand or elbow of the binder or driver. The stem B, being leaned forward, the arm, after being started, will swing back, or rather forward, by its own gravity. DD are the hooks or claws, that are -made to operate inward by the cords J J J,

over the pulleys F F F, attached to the lever I, or to the windlass A; but when the cords are relaxed the springs E E expand them outwardly. The springs E E are secured at or near the same point that the claws are hinged,

so as to avoid friction on the Shanks of D D. The claws cna six-foot arm should be two feet long-z'. e., one foot from l to 2, and the ner wouldldivide the .which was falling till the arm passed from un- ;der it and letittallon Athe platform.

same from-2 to 3, Fig. 3andthen hingedjust two feetfrom each end of the arm. The loops at theI middle willl just come' together when .drawn up to the pulleys F F. I would make the claws of one-fourth steel rod or of ilat iron `one-eighth by one-half inch, bent edgewise. yIt is. important that the claws should work close together at `the points, and being on a line at their Shanks the .pressure will be di rectly toward eachothenand the hook part `must be so straightat the point that when they pass each other the pointswill always be lowest, `soasnot to pierce .the gavel when grasping it.

.The arm A is made of wood or iron, and -is .firmly united with the stem B, at right angles. VSaid stem canbe made of one` and one-fourth linch-gas-pipe. To protect :the claws,

strin gs, &c., from entanglement With'the` falling grain as the arm swin gs forward, Idefend them with a piece of sheet metal bent to an acute angle, andx it to the arm A, so that its; sharp corgrainand hold that up (See G, Fig. 2.)

`In orderthat theclaws may work lfreely when gathering the gavel, I l slit the platform from side to side about twelve or fourteen inches back from the cutters, leaving a cleft l six inches wide, through which theclaws sweep as they are drawn inward 5 and to stitfen thev platform, aswell as to protect the points of theclaws from the stubble, I drop a vertical flange, L, six or eight inches wide, from the hind end of K, and I unite M and K with strong iron straps X X, bent outward at each end, so as to clear the sweep of the claws when expanded. The rear part of the platform M and N is almost hat, and is curved from the cleft backward, to correspond with the sweep ofthe crane. The platform ascends as it runs back at an angle of twelveor fteen degrees, and the stem of the crane is planted at right angles to its ascending surface, so that the arm is always at the same distance from it.

There must be an open space between the rear of the platform and binding-stand, So that the claws can freely expand when relaxed from the gavel.

To enable the gavel to be discharged in the rear of the wheels,I hinge about eighteeninches of the rear point of the platform N, that it may be dropped down somewhat and form a sliding apron, on which the gavel, being discharged from the claws, will slide to the ground, but where it is desired to bind the grain at once, I secure the said apron on a line with the platform by a bar through a staple on the under side near the hinge, and then the gavel can be delivered directly to the binder. p The binding apparatus consists in almost a duplicate of the grasping-claws inverted-a'. e., operating upward-except that the points are bent into loops or hooks, which, when expanded, lie below the platform, 'and on these loops (see I? I, Fig. 4) the band is laid. When the gavel is swung over the band the binder presses the treadle It with his foot, which draws the cord Q, when the arms V V sweep round the gavel and bear the ends of the band with it, one of the loops being bent to the left and the other to the right. The ends of the band are thus brought into convenient position to be quickly seized, when the carrying-claws and the band-bearers may both be relaxed. The springs W IV will jerk l? F out of the way. E E will do the same with D D, when the operator has freedom to make his knot and tumble the sheaf to the ground; then give the crane a push, place another band, and so on continuously. At his right hand, within reach, is a buck or band-holder, Z, made ot one-halfinch iron rod bent into the form of two Vs, united together and fixed to the frame of the machine, to which, from time to time, as it is needed, an unbound sheaf is transferred to be used for bands.

When grain is to be discharged from the machine unbound, the bandbearers and their attachments may be detached and laid aside.

I fix the socket H firmly to the main frame of the machine, and I also hinge the lever I to the frame by a box at 4, Fig. 2, the handle of the lever being bent to make it convenient to the hand of the driver.

The cord Y, which draws the pinion 'I into gear with the cog-wheel on the side of the ground-wheel or driver, does not begin to draw till the lever has drawn the claws D D into the position seen in Fig. 2, at which point they begin to raise the gavel from the platform by their closing action; for it will not do to have the crane begin to swing till the claws have encircled the gavel clear of the platform.

The platform can be made of sheet-iron or any thin, light material, made stift' with ribs.

It can be attached to the cutter-bar with a `bolt at each end in front, and to a standard on theframe in the rear. I make the windlass a., in Fig. 5, so that just one turn would grasp the claws together, and then the crank will always be in the same position when taken hold of to turn, or when turned to swing round the crane.

` I do not claim, broadly, the use of arms 01 talons to gather grain in gavels, sweeping from each side toward the center of the platform neither vdo I claim the use of a crane to swing the gavel round perpendicular to the track of the machine, as this has been done by others; but

1. In combination with the harvester-platform K M, the crane A, claws D, springs E, cords J, and pulleys F, all constructed and operatin g snbstantiall y as described.

2. The combination of the arms V V, springs W IV, cord Q, treadle It, and bearers I) I?, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

THOS. S. MINNISS.

Witnesses:

J. D. CLEMsoN, OREN DANBY, L. DERBY,A S. D. GULBERfrsoN. 

